Slytherin's evil

[milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 2198

Frankly I think there's a duality in most things. For example, 
acetamenophen (Tylenol) is a poison if it is taken in large 
quantities. On the other hand, if used judiciously and wisely, it is 
a pretty good medicine for headaches, fevers and muscle pains. 
Likewise a pair of scissors can be used judiciously and wisely to cut 
a piece of paper or it can be used to stab someone. These examples, 
like the Basilisk, are defined as "good" or "evil" by their usage. 
Their usage, of course, depends upon the intent of the user. And that 
depends upon the choices of the user, just as Dumbledore told 
Harry in CoS and told the entire school in GoF.
;-)
--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, Amanda Lewanski <editor at t...> wrote:
> milz wrote:
> 
> > About the Basilisk...it was meant to be a *servant* of the Heir of
> > Slytherin. In other words, the Heir could use it for what ever 
he/she
> > wanted. Tom Riddle chose to use it for *evil*.
> 
> A trap many have fallen into, characters in many works of fiction 
and sometimes in real life---a strong enough character will be able 
to use something innately evil toward an ultimately good end.
> I, for one, don't think it's possible.
> 
> And yes, in most European cultures snakes are Bad Things, and the 
Cockatrice and Basilisk both are big-news bad by nature. Their breath 
kills, their glance kills. Death hangs about them.
> Slytherin might have gotten a bum deal, with an innate ability to 
speak to snakes, leading to the logical use of the king of serpents 
as a servant, and then being warped gradually by association.
> Hmmm.
> 
> --Amanda